Rho-Kinase Activity

The extent of ERM phosphorylation, as normalized by that of total actin, was significantly enhanced in the control allograft group compared with the isograft group (Figure 3). The long-term treatment with fasudil dose-dependently suppressed the increase in Rho-kinase activity in the allograft group (Figure 3). The total amount of ERM did not change among the 4 groups (Figure 3). The actin density was significantly less in the allograft group than any other groups because of the abundant ECM in the equal amount of the sample.

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Figure 3. Representative images and quantified analysis of Western blotting for phosphorylated ERM, a marker of Rho-kinase activity, total ERM, and actin, in cardiac grafts at 4 weeks after cardiac transplantation. The Rho-kinase activity was increased in the control allograft group, which was dose-dependently suppressed by the fasudil treatment.